San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1887-05-26
THAT REFRIGERATOR SCHEME.
News From New York Indicates That
the Marquis De Mores Has
Abandoned His En-
terprise

NEWS FROM Now iOTk iuuiSdtoo Ahos
the Marquis De Mores Has
Abandoned His En-
terprise.
Considerable excitement has been Gre
sted in New York by the arrest Of An
Antoine MOnco de Vallambrosa, Marquis
de MOres, son of the duke of Vallambro-
ss and son-in-law of Baron Won HOff-
mann, the New York banker, at the in
stance of Samuel Grimshaw, who has
brought suit against the Marquis to re-
cover $40, 900, charging deceit and fraud,
and who further alleged the Marquis had
sold his property and was about to re-
turn to his home in France. Bond was
fixed at $4,000 and was readily.given.
I'm his complaint Grimshsw says that prior
to February last he was engaged In the meat
business in New York, and was vice-president
of the Retail Butchers Protective association,
and that about that time he met the marquis,
who was about to establish the National Con-
sumers' Meat company, who offered him the
position of general manager of the company
for the states OF New York and New Jersey,
the object of the company being TO supply
meats at greatly reduced rates to retail
butchers and meat dealers The marquis, he
says, being then utterly involved and unable
to pay his debts, but intending to cheat
and defraud, did falsely and fraud
uently represent that he was a man OF
great wealth, having $4,000 of ready cash
and available property of his own; that he
was supported by a syndicate OF millionaire
Wall street men who would supply him with
means to the extent OF at least 900; that
he had $4,000 invested in the Western Dressed
Beef company, and finally. that he was the
owner of extensive ranch and cattle property
in Montana, worth at least $4,000.
Upon these representations Grimshaw al
leges that he was induced to enter into an
agreement by which he was to buy out the
retail butchers, paying them with stock of the
National Consumers Meat company. The
agreement was that the Marquis was to pay him
500 for each daily output OF 100 6eeyes until
give him 200 shares of stock in the firm of De
MOres Co. when daily output of 500 beeves
was reached and the plaintiff was also to
have at his disposal nve seats in the board OF
directors of the National company, but II was
provided that II the scheme could not be car
ried out within ten months Grimshaw was to
resign his interest in the firm of De MOres l.
Co On the LIST of March last further agree
ment was entered into by which Grimshaw
was TO purchase the retail butcher stores at a
total cost not to exceed S5O,OOO their value TO
he teImined by appraisers, and payment to
be made In stock of the National Consumers
Meat company.
The plaintiff as a result of his investiga.
lions, declares that he discovered that the
Marquis had only 900 invested in the West
ern Dressed Beef company, that the ranch and
cattle property in Montana claimed by the
Marquis was of little value and belonged to
his wife, and that the National Consumers
Meat company was utterly worthless and in.
solvent, even its furnituae, safes, &c, being
subject to chatte mortgages. He therefore
charges the Marquis with being guilty of
fraud and deceit in inducing him to enter into
the contracts which the latter has since vio-
lated, and he declares his belief that the or
gantZatiOn of the National Consumers Meat
company, with capital OF SlO,OOO,OOO divided
into l,OOO,000 shares of $40 each, which he
hoped TO induce the general public toinvest
in, was the last despairng effort of the Mar
quis TO extricate himself, If possible from
the financial straits in which he had become
involved"
The plaintiff further alleges that by trip to
Kansas City he learned that the Marquis was
in bad financial Odor out there, and that the
capitalists who were associated with him re-
pudiated and deserted him six months ago;
also, that the defendant only last Saturday
closed up one of his large meat stores in New
York, beng the one at Abingdon
square, and that he has vacated his
house in Twenty-ninth street, and that
he sent his family to Europe two weeks ago.
promising to follow them soon, aud has sold
60 per cent. of his stock in the National Com
pany for $1,000 Plaintiff also says that the
Marquis confessed to him that his father-in.
law had said that he must close up his bust
ness IN this country and return to France as
the price of a reconciliation between them
The platntih makes up his $4,000 as follows:
S2,2OO for expenses incurred, s., 800 for habili-
ties incurred. 5000 for his own services, and
SlU,SD Tor the loss of his business in accepting
the proposition of the Marquis. In this last
item he includes the enmity of bis brother
butchers, secured by joining with the defend
ant in scheme TO cut down the price of meat.
The Marquis side of the story is not heard
yet and therefore the plaintiffs statement
must be taken cum grano, but an intimate
friend says that the whole matter Is misrepre-
scented. The contract was conditional upon
the stock being subscribed and that not being
done he is relieved from the contract. He de
mics that the Marquis is involved but init
mates the project is dead"
One point about this remarkable case
is important to San Antonio. 1t was the
Marquis de Mores who made PROPOSE
tiOns for the institution of a refrigerator
here, and his pet scheme having failed
the refrigerator movement, 80 far as he
is concerned, must be abandoned. but IL
should be taken up on other grounds.
The people OF western and southwestern
Texas can afford to inaugurate and run
q refrigerator for the common good with
out the aid Of the northern and eastern
spectators and In fact It should run on
those lines.